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Palm Beach County adds seats to Palm Tran Service Board; two contested nominees kept after unanimous amendment
Summary
The commission confirmed several Palm Tran Service Board seats and voted unanimously to amend the governing resolution to add an extra seat so both contested nominees—Dante Mickens and Manuel Rivera—could serve.
Palm Beach County commissioners on Oct. 7 confirmed multiple appointments to the Palm Tran Service Board and voted 7-0 to amend the board’s governing resolution to add an additional seat so two contested nominees could both serve.
The board confirmed Carrie Ronn to Seat 2 and Silva Salvandran to Seat 3 by unanimous votes. Tricia Hallison Miskler was confirmed to the citizen-at-large seat by unanimous vote.
A contested nomination between Dante Mickens and Manuel (Manny) Rivera for another service board seat produced a split roll‑call. After discussion, the commission voted 7-0 to amend the board resolution to add an extra seat; following that amendment both Dante Mickens and Manuel Rivera will serve on the Palm Tran Service Board.
Why it matters: Palm Tran oversees specialized and fixed-route public transportation in Palm Beach County, including paratransit services used by residents with disabilities. Commissioners and community speakers said maintaining continuity and diverse representation on the board is important for service planning and community access.
Speakers and backgrounds: Dante Mickens described decades of local engagement, service on disability and rehabilitation councils and work with Lighthouse and Families First. Selva (Salvandran) cited long involvement in environmental and transportation matters and prior work with the county health department; both candidates emphasized ties to local transit and disability communities.
Process notes: Staff explained each Palm Tran seat corresponds to an ordinance category and typically has a three‑year term with a maximum of three terms. Commissioners asked about term limits, seat categories and timing of upcoming vacancies. The board recorded motions and took roll‑call votes where required; Clerk administration handled the roll call for the contested seat.
Ending: The commission thanked outgoing and continuing board members and directed staff to return the revised resolution reflecting the additional seat and to transmit appointment paperwork.
